But what about long-term studies? Do they show same marked improvement with similar treatment? In short-term trials it was apparent that even high level supplementing with CoQ10 seemed to produce no ill effects. In order to determine if this is only true for short durations a number of long-term studies were conducted.

In 1990 observations were published concerning 126 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. Unlike previously noted studies this one followed patients’ progress for six years. Long-term benefits from CoQ10 supplementing were noticed with no harmful side effects. Similar observations were made in a trial involving 2,664 patients treated with CoQ10 at levels up to 150 mg per day.

A 1994 study involving 424 patients with a variety of myocardial (refers to heart's muscle mass) diseases. Among these conditions were following: Valvular heart disease (pertaining to dysfunction of heart valves), hypertension, diastolic dysfunction (failure of heart to properly refill itself with blood), dilated cardiomyopathy (group of disorders where heart muscle is weakened and enlarged and cannot pump effectively) and ischemic cardiomyopathy (low oxygen state usually due to obstruction of arterial blood supply). Patients were treated with an average of 240 mg of CoQ10 daily during their treatment period. They were then followed-up for up to eight years with an average follow-up period of 18 months. Overall results demonstrated measurable cardiac improvements in one month with maximum improvements at about six months. With continued CoQ10 treatment improvement in most patients was sustained. However, discontinuing treatment usually resulted in a decline of cardiac function with eventual return to pre-treatment conditions.

As always in medical community many more studies will need to be conducted to determine future of CoQ10 treatment. However, research to date seems to support CoQ10 as a viable treatment for many diseases that are caused or exacerbated by inadequate production of cellular energy.

http://www.optimal-heart-health.com/coq10.html

The findings of these combined studies were consistent with other data concluding that diets high in fish demonstrate a reduced occurrence of death from coronary heart disease. This is especially true in relation to deaths that are of a non-sudden nature. That is not to conclude, however, that fish consumption does not inversely affect risk of sudden cardiac death. Other studies have verified that such a relationship exists. Those studies are, however, beyond scope of this essay.

But why does fish consumption improve heart health? It could just be fact that people who eat fish eat less of other harmful foods. To focus a little more closely on beneficial causes of fish consumption it is important to consider at least one study that isolated omega-3 intake via dietary supplements regardless of diet. The interesting thing about this study is that it was concerned with effects of omega-3 and vitamin E supplementation on patients who had already experienced a heart attack.

The GISSI-Prevenzione trial, as it is known, hoped to establish any relationship that might exist between omega-3 and vitamin E as combined agents in fight against heart disease. It was a randomized trial involving 11,234 patients who had survived a heart attack within previous three months at time study began. The participants were divided into four groups. Group one received one gram of omega-3 supplements daily. Group two received 300mg of vitamin E every day. Group three received both while control group received neither. Each participant received clinical examinations with blood samples taken and were asked to fill out diet questionnaires at outset of experiment and at six, twelve, eighteen, thirty and forty-two months.

The data were analyzed using two methods. A two-way analysis was made comparing omega-3 supplementing and no omega-3, as well as vitamin E intake compared to no vitamin E. A four-way analysis was also conducted comparing combination of omega-3 and vitamin E with omega-3 alone and vitamin E alone. The effects of combined supplements were also compared with group that took no supplements.

The results of test demonstrated a 14% decrease in death from any cause for two-way analysis and a 20% drop in death rate for four-way analysis. Concerning only death due to cardiovascular disease, two-way analysis showed a 17% reduction of risk while four-way analysis revealed a 30% decrease. Though vitamin E is known to be a powerful antioxidant, group that supplemented with combination of omega-3 and vitamin E showed no life-expectancy advantage over group that supplemented with only omega-3.

The overall conclusion of GISSI-Prevenzione trial was that supplementing with omega-3 provided long term benefits in lowering risk of death for patients who had experienced a myocardial infarction.

http://www.optimal-heart-health.com/fishoils.html